STOCKTON - The Delta men's and women's basketball teams remained unbeaten in Big 8 Conference play with wins over Modesto Junior College on Tuesday at Joe Blanchard Gymnasium.

Alex Simmons came off the bench and scored 25 points to help the Mustangs come from behind in a 91-75 victory over the Pirates in the opener of the doubleheader, and Briana Vaden made five 3-point shots and scored 21 points in Delta's 65-54 win in the nightcap.

Simmons helped the Mustangs (11-6, 3-0) stay with the Pirates (8-8, 0-3) with three 3-pointers and 11 points in the first half. Modesto went on an 8-0 run and led 26-18 midway through the first half, and Mike Hill's basket off the glass gave the Pirates a 44-34 lead with 2:14 remaining.

Modesto led 47-41 at the break, but Delta turned it around in the second half with a more effective effort on defense, as well as Simmons' outside shooting and strong interior defense and scoring from center Mitch Postle.

In the second half, Simmons made four from beyond the 3-point arc and Postle scored 10 points to go with five rebounds. Delta went on a 34-14 run in an 11-minute stetch bridging the first and second halves, and outscored Modesto 50-28 in the final 20 minutes.

Simmons' 3-pointer with 11:40 left in the game gave Delta a 60-58 lead. Postle's interior defense and subsequent rebound led to Simmons' go-ahead shot, which came on an assist by Ryan Gaarder, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

"In the first half we kind of played soft, so we went out there with a more intense mind-set," said Simmons, a 6-3 freshman out of St. Mary's. "We really stepped up a lot."

Vaden and reserve forward Kelci Haueter, who scored 14 points, came through offensively on a night when freshman guard and leading scorer Lisa Valentine struggled to find her shot.

Valentine still contributed by handling the ball, and when she wasn't on the court, her teammates couldn't maintain any rhythm. Valentine, who averages 15 points per game, scored 10. Still, the Mustangs did enough and avenged a 13-point loss earlier this season to the Pirates (13-4, 2-1) in the championship game of the Las Positas Tournament.

"It's about getting better," Delta coach Gina Johnson said. "We expect to be getting better at this point in the season."